Wire-straightening machine



Nov. 12, 1929. e. F. MATTESON WIRE STRAIGHTENING MACHINE Filed March 5, l927 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 47' TO/P/VE Y Patented Nov 12, 1929 GEORGE E. MATTESON, or nocx nrnncouuncrrcur, ASSIGNOR r'o ran r. B. snusran.

comrm, or NEW HAVEN, connnc'rrcu'r, a coarormrron or'coNNEcrrcUr WIRESTRAIGHTENING MAGHIITE I Application filed March a, 1927.- Serial Ito/172,332.

My invention relates'to the class of mach-ines above named, and an object of my invention, among others, is to provide a ma chine of this kind that shall be slmple 1n construction, one having means for conveniently changing or renewing parts and one that shall be particularly eflicient in operation. I v

I One form of machine embodying my in- 1 vention and in the construction and use of which the objects herein set out, as well-as 7 others, may be attained, is-illustrate'd in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a top view of my improved wire straightening machine.

' Figure 2 is a side view of the same.

Figure 3 is a detail view, scale enlarged, illustrating the construction of'the feed rolls.

, Figure 4 is a view in cross section on a plane denoted by the dotted line 4-4 of Figure 3. I

In the accompanying drawings the numeral 6 indicates the base of my improved machine upon which certain units comprising operative parts of the structure are removably mounted, and from which base these units, each in its entirety, may be'readily removed and as readily replaced, thereby enabling the machine'to be quickly changed for any purpose that may be desired, or for purpose of renewal or repair of parts, the construction of said units to enable such removal or change to be more specifically here-' inafter described, it being now briefly stated that said units comprise a breaker unit 7, a straightening unit 8, and a wire feeding unit- 9. I

A driving shaft 11 is mounted on the base and it is driven as by meansof a pulley 12 secured thereto. A train of gears 13' connects the shaft 11 with the straightening unit to drive the latter, and a train of'gears including a worm wheel 14: connects the shaft ll-with the breaker unit .7 for the purpose of driving the latter.

A'worm 15 secured to the driving shaft meshes with a worm wheel 16 fast to a feed operating shaft 17 rotatably mounted in a.

to the shaft '17 meshes with a gear 20 on a lower feed roll shaft 21., The gear 19 also meshes with a gear 22 secured to an upper connecting shaft 23, which shaft has another gear 24 meshing with a gear 25 on a feed roll shaft 26, the shafts 21 and '26 each having a feedroll 27 or 28 secured thereto.

The gear 19 meshes with a ear 29 on a lower feed roll shaft 30, and the gear 24 meshes with a gear 31 on an upper feed roll shaft 32, each of whichshafts are rotatably mounted in the frame 18. The shafts 26 and 32 are mounted in bearing blocks -3334 adjustably located in openings in the frame 18, springs 35 exerting pressure upon said blocks to force them upwardly against tensioning screws 36 fitting screw threaded holes in a cap 43 on the frame, as shown in Figure 4. The lower ends of said screws abut against steps. 37 seated upon resilient material, as rubber, and the upper end of said screws have adjusting gears 38 secured there to and meshing with an adjusting pinion .39 on an adjusting sleeve 40 rotatably mounted on a pin 41 secured to and rising from the cap 13 on the frame 18, said sleeve 40 having an adjusting wheel 42 secured thereto as a means of operating the parts torelease, the blocks.

There is a set of adjusting members appurtenant to each shaft 26 or 32 and comprising the parts just hereinabove described. There is also a set of feed rolls secured to the shafts 30 and 32, as hereinbefore described with respect to the feed rolls 2728.

From this construction it will be 'observed' that the shafts 26 and 32 may be raised or lowered to regulate the grip of the feed rolls upon a wire-or wires. The movement of these rolls for all practical purposes will not be to an extent to affect the efficiency of'meshing of the gear 22 with the gears 25 and 31, said gears being arranged to permit the adjust ing movement of the gears 25 and 31 equal- 1y on opposite sides of a plane passing through the axes of said gears and that of the shaft 23.

An important feature of the invention resides in locating the, gears 25 and 31 out of line with the gears 20 and 29, so that-the ad justing movement ofsaid gears 25 and 31 may be unlimited so far as the gears20 and 29 are concerned.

The frame 18 constitutes a housing which is substantially closed as to its side walls to a point above the shafts 21 and 60, in the present case the top of the housing being closed b the cap 43, the housing being, therefore, su stantially a closed structure so far as outflow of oil is concerned and, therefore, sufficient to contain oil in suitable amounts for lubricating purposes.

The bearings for the driving shaft 11 are located in a trough 44 projecting from one side of the housing 18 and a cap 45 is removabl secured at one side of the housing over said trough to form an oil inclosure for lubricating the worm wheel 16 and the worm 15.

The housing or frame 18 has its baseformed with an angular recess 46 shaped to fit the side of the base 6, and it is removably secured to the base as by means of threaded bolts, or' otherwise as ma be desired.

The shaft 26 is mounted in bearing blocks 3.3 slidably'mounted in openings in opposite walls of the frame or housing 18, and the same is true of the shaft 32, this structure having been hereinbefore referred to. It will be noted that these bearing blocks have flanges 47 that close the openings 48' in which the blocks are located, these flan es extending far enough on opposite sides 0 the blocks to maintain the openings 48 in a closed condition in different positions of adjustment of said blocks within said openings.

The breaker and straightening units, .as hereinbefore mentioned, are removabl secured to the base 6, as by means of bo ts 49 projecting through flanges in the bases of said unit into the base 6. Guide blocks 50 are secured in grooves in the under side of each of said bases, these guide blocks projecting into a groove 51 extending lengthwise in the base 6.

Persons skilled in the wire working art are acquainted with the fact that when a supply of wire being fed, from a spool of wire, to a rotating arbor type of wire straightener is .about exhausted and the distorted and bent tail end of the wire leaves the said spool, a-

vigorous whip ing of the end of the wire ta es place. his is very objectionable and is due to the great amount of friction exerted upon the wire by the rotating arbor.

Applicant has discoveredthat this whipping action can be overcome entirely by placm at one end of the arbor a plurality of paral el pairs of feed rolls. These rolls will act to feed the wire through the arbor and will prevent its turning. It is very important that at least two pairs of closely positioned feed rolls be employed for a single pair of feed rolls at one or both ends of a rotating arbor wire straightener, as commonly used at this time, will not effect the desired result.

It will be noted that applicant has rovided the two pairs of feed rolls, carrie by the shafts 21, 26, 30, and 32, and that the respective rolls of each pair are located oneabove the other, while one pair of rolls is located close to the end of the arbor. This arrangement of feed rolls will prevent the tail end of a su reac mg the rotating itistobefed."

In accordance with the rovisions of'the patent statutes I have descri ed the principles of operation of my invention, together with the apparatus which I now consider to represent the best embodiment thereof; but I desire to have it understood that the device shown is'only illustrative and that the invention may be carried out by other means and applied to uses other than those above set out.

I claim 1. A wire straightening machine comprising a base, a wire straightening unit, a wire feed unit, means for independently removably securing each of said units to the-base, and means otherthan the securing means for accurately aligning said units.

2. A wire straightening machine including a base, a breaker unit, awire straightening unit, a wire feed unit, means forindependentl removably securing each of-said units to the base, and means other than the securing means for accurately ali ing said units.

3. A wire feed for a wire straightening machine and includin a pair of wire feed rolls,

a driving member or each of said rolls, said members being located on the same side of said rolls and means for relatively changing the ositions of said members, one of sai mem ers having a path of movement parallel to the plane occupied by the other of said members.

4. A wire feed for a wire straightening machine including a plurality of pairs of wire feed rolls, means for driving one of the members of each pair independentl of the su port for the other and inclu ing a sing e member for driving one member of each of a plurality of said pairs.

5. A wire feed for a wire straightening machine including a plurality of pairs of wire feed rolls, driving members for said rolls, means for adjusting the relative positions of members of each air of rolls, the driving member of one rol of each pair being located parallel to the ath of adjusting movement of the other of said pairs, a common gear for driving one roll of each of said pairs, and means driven by "said gear for driving the other roll of each of said pairs.

6. A wire feed for a wire straightening machine comprising a housing closed at opposite ends and having openings 1n its opposite side walls for sliding earings, sliding bearings fitted within said openings, to maintain them.

in closed condition, thereby constituting an oil-tlght housing in different adjustable positions of the feed roll, feed roll shafts ad meshing driving gears locate within said cap and trough, one of said gears being secured to one of said feed roll shafts.

8. A wire feed for wire straightening machines including a plurality of pairs of wire feed rolls, the axes of one roll of each pair being located in one plane, the axes of the remaining rolls being located in a second plane, a drive shaft located in one of said planes, means operativelyconnecting the drive shaft to the feed rolls located inthe same plane therewith, a counter shaft located in the other of said planes, means operatively connecting the counter shaft to the feed rolls located in the same plane therewith, and means for operatively connecting the counter. shaft to the drive shaft.

9. A wire feed for wire straightening machines including a plurality of pairs of wire feed rolls, a drive'shaft and a counter shaft located in different horizontal planes, means for' operatively connecting one roll of each pair of feed rolls to the drive shaft, means'for {operatively connecting the remaining roll of each pair of fed rolls to the counter shaft, and means for operatively connecting the counter shaft to the drive shaft.

10. A wire feed for wire straightenin machines including a plurality of pairs of wire feed rolls, a drive shaft and a counter shaft located in different horizontal planes, means for operatively connecting one roll of each pair of feed rolls to the drive shaft, means for operatively connecting the remaining roll of each pair of feed.rolls to the counter shaft,

said shafts relative to the other, said means including openings in said walls, shaft bearings slidable in said openings, means for automatically adjusting said hearings in one direction, and means for manually adjusting said bearings in the opposite direction.

13. A wire straightenin machine comprising a frame including a ousing, a pair of j feed roll shafts rotatably mounted in the walls of said housing, and means for adjusting one of said shafts relative to the other, said means including openings in said walls, shaft be'arin blocks slidable in said openings and having anges for closing the openings in all positions of the blocks, means'for automatically adjusting said bearings in one dimotion, and means for manually adjusting said bearings in the opposite direction.

14. A wire straightening machine comprising a frame including a housing, a pair of feed roll shafts rotatably mounted in the walls of said housing, means for adjusting one of said shafts relative to the other, said means includin openings in said walls, shaft bearings slidab e in said openings, means for independently automatically adjusting 'said hearings in one direction, and means for uniformly adjusting both of said hearings in the opposite direction.

GEORGE F. MATTESON.

the respective connecting means being located indifferent vertical planes, and means -for operatively connecting the counter shaft to the drive shaft. 4

11. A wire feed for wire straightenin machines including a plurality of pairs o wire feed rolls, a drive shaft and a counter shaft located in different horizontal planes, means for operatively connecting one roll ofeach pan of feed rolls to the drive shaft, means for operatively connecting the remaining roll of each pair of feed rolls to the counter shaft, the respective connecting means being located in different vertical planes, means foroperatively connecting the counter shaft to the drive shaft, and means for changing the relative positions of the respective feed rolls in each pair. 12. A wire straightening machine comprismg a frame including a housing, a pair of feed rolls rotatably mounted in the walls of said housing, and means for adjusting one of 

